Game of Thrones begins....

[Josquius]

My view is that Sansa has grown up a lot from the early days when she trustingly went to the Queen with her father's plan to leave the city (something that happened in the book but not in the show).  She now knows how manipulative Little Finger is and she is painfully aware he is the only powerful ally she has left.  She lied to the Lords of the Vale to protect Little Finger and keep her powerful ally in play.  There was no point in upsetting him by accepting Brienne into her service when he made it clear he didn't want Brienne around.


We still don't know whether Sansa is mature enough to know Little Finger didn't want Sansa to have an guardian independent of him who might interfere with his further plans.  If she is that mature then perhaps she knew she could have the best of both worlds - keep Little Finger happy while knowing that Brienne would follow in any event.  We also don't know what Little Finger's plans might be (his long play is really the cornerstone of the story) but it is fun to speculate about it.  Without reference to social media spoilers that is.

Perhaps in keeping with her being aged up and such a path being better for TV, TV-Sansa seems a lot more mature and politically astute than book Sansa does.

The impression I got from book Littlefinger is that even behind all his political scheming and quest for power it is still all about Cat for him.....something transposed onto Sansa. And a real hole for her to exploit when she is able.,
TV show Littlefinger doesn't seem to show this to quite the same extent.

Varys:  what's his game?  He has told Tyrion that he wants an honorable leader on the throne of "our kingdom" of Westeros, but his original plan was to bring Viseys to the throne.  Viserys was everything Varys later tells Tyrion he wants to avoid.  Clearly, he is lying to Tyrion.

Also, does he shave because he is balding, or because his hair is too pale for him to go unrecognized as a Targaryen?  Could he background be a matter of fiction?  After all, he was made a member of the small council by Aerius II, not Robert Baratheon.  If he was a Targaryen bastard, he'd have "the blood" to be useful (or maybe just have bits snipped off to be useful) in blood magic.

Viserys is young and mouldable/controllable he figured?
His intelligence in the free cities didn't do the best of jobs on reporting about his personality?

I don't for a second believe Varys as a Targ. Tyrion the Targ on the other hand is one I increasingly see something in.

[Berkut]

The biggest though has to be Sam just so happening to coming south under the wall on the exact same night that Bran is going north. I still think the idea that Sam would find out that not just one but both of the younger Stark children are alive and agree to keep it a secret, even from Jon, is completely ludicrous.

iirc the Book did a much better job explaining why Sam kept the secret.

I should also add than in the books Sam keeps the secret, in the show he tells Jon iirc.

Did he really?

[Josephus]

I can never remember what happened in the books

[crazy canuck]

The biggest though has to be Sam just so happening to coming south under the wall on the exact same night that Bran is going north. I still think the idea that Sam would find out that not just one but both of the younger Stark children are alive and agree to keep it a secret, even from Jon, is completely ludicrous.

iirc the Book did a much better job explaining why Sam kept the secret.

I should also add than in the books Sam keeps the secret, in the show he tells Jon iirc.

Did he really?

In the episode "Oathkeeper".  It was one of the first times the writers of the TV show diverted significantly from the books.  But the writers seem to have forgotten.  For example when Stannis offered to make Jon the Lord of Winterfell, that offer was very attractive in the book because Jon believed there were no other heirs.  But in the show the offer made no sense from Jon's point of view knowing that rightful heirs still lived.

http://www.bustle.com/articles/23057-why-game-of-thrones-jon-bran-reuniting-will-be-a-huge-departure-from-the-books

[crazy canuck]

I can never remember what happened in the books

When the TV show is over and if the book series is finished I plan on going back and reading them again.  Books 4 and 5 might make more sense with hindsight.

[crazy canuck]

Varys:  what's his game?  He has told Tyrion that he wants an honorable leader on the throne of "our kingdom" of Westeros, but his original plan was to bring Viseys to the throne.  Viserys was everything Varys later tells Tyrion he wants to avoid.  Clearly, he is lying to Tyrion.

Also, does he shave because he is balding, or because his hair is too pale for him to go unrecognized as a Targaryen?  Could he background be a matter of fiction?  After all, he was made a member of the small council by Aerius II, not Robert Baratheon.  If he was a Targaryen bastard, he'd have "the blood" to be useful (or maybe just have bits snipped off to be useful) in blood magic.

It is hard to figure Varys out.  in I am having trouble keeping the TV version straight with the books and particularly what we learned in books 4 and 5 about him.  One thing seems certain.  He is not what he works hard at making people see.

[Siege]

It is not about the shows being leaked, but interviews with actors which are posted on all fan sites, and resulting speculation. And I put all the names / details in spoiler tags.

So fuck off, you fucking asshole.

Right, it was so fine that you posted that that you went and decided to put spoiler tags on the stuff that I called you an asshole for - proving that you are in fact an asshole even in your own mind.

WTF, can you have just a little respect for other people? Just a smidgen? Even a token amount?

If I wanted to go read fansites with people's speculation about what they heard through the grapevine about what is coming IN NON YET RELEASED EPISODES why, I would go to those sites, now wouldn't I? I wouldn't come here were we agreed that we would NOT relay information about what is going to happen until it actually happens.

Berkut said smidgen.

[Siege]

Berkut, fuck you, I respond to posts with multiple quotes line by line - my life is too long to not engage with people who do that.

Whoa there, Marty.
Easy on the Berk.

[Eddie Teach]

my life is too short to engage with people who do that.

Life is too short to get into debates on Languish.

[Siege]

my life is too long to not engage with people who do that.

Life is too long to not get into debates on Languish.

I agree.

[grumbler]

my life is too long to not engage with people who do that.

Life is too long to not get into debates on Languish.

I agree.

I disagree.

[Jaron]

Martinus you are DEAD wrong here. Thanks for ruining Season 5 for me.

[katmai]

You don't even watch the show pendejo.

[Jaron]

I do so!

[grumbler]

I do so!

I thought your law school studies kept you too busy.